


Fixing the Reset

by Erisaiya



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, I'm just going where the characters take me, Idk what's going to be in this, Spoilers, both for 707's route and for the secret endings, death mention, i'll add more as they come up, murder mention, mystic messenger spoilers, reset theory, send help, so many spoilers, there's going to be a lot of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-04 20:21:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11562627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erisaiya/pseuds/Erisaiya
Summary: The Reset Theory. It states that pressing the restart button sends you back to the beginning, allowing you to repeat the adventure you'd just been taken on. It allows you to delve deeper into the story, everyone's story, leaving you the only one who remembers anything. Everyone else forgets every time. You've fallen in love with all of them in your own way, and when you finally reached Saeyoung's story, you thought you'd pressed that button for the last time.But then you thought... what if you could go back, and stop Mint Eye before they destroyed everything? What if you could save not only Saeyoung, but the brother he cares so much about?What if you could fix all of it?Will you lose your happy ending with Saeyoung? Will you be able to save everyone?Or will you have to reset again?*ABANDONED WORK DUE TO RELEASE OF RAY ROUTE*





	1. Preface

"Seven... I have to fix this."

"MC, you don't have to fix this. We figured it out, we're okay. Please, stay with me."

"But I can do something about this! I can keep _all_ of this from happening."

"We're happy, aren't we? Isn't that all we wanted? Are you not happy with me?"

"I'm doing this _because_ I'm happy with you. I want to see you happy... and I want to see Rika pay for what she's done. V, too."

"MC-"

"I'm sorry, Seven. I have to do this. I love you. Always... You deserve to be happy."

And this would be her last reset. She only hoped that, somehow, in the end, they could be together again.

* * *

The back of your phone turns into an obnoxious amount of scrolling code. You'd seen the code many times now and needed two hands to count the number. Maybe you should screenshot some of it and send it to Seven later in the week... no. No, you have to keep herself distanced from him, otherwise this wouldn't work. You can't do anything with him. You're already on your way to the apartment when the first message pops up.

 _Unknown has entered the chat room._  
Unknown: ... Hello...?  
MC: Saeran Choi.  
Unknown: ... Who is that?  
MC: Don't play games with me. I know who you are and I know what you want. You want me to infiltrate the RFA so you can try and take it down.  
Unknown: How do you know that?!

You take a deep breath. God, you didn't want to do this.

  
MC: Let's just say I know the Savior, and her companion. I know about Mint Eye. I'm willing to help you take out the RFA, but on one condition.

There's a long wait before you receive a reply.

Unknown: What's that?  
MC: No one gets hurt. I will work with you, cooperate with you... but as soon as I hear of anyone getting hurt because of Mint Eye, I leave and you receive no more help from me. That includes Saeyoung Choi.  
Unknown: Deal. I'll let you into the apartment. The code is 0909.  
MC: V's birthday. I already know.  
Unknown: ... You really do know them. Where did you get your information? Are you a hacker?

You snort as you reached the elevator that would lead you to Rika's apartment. Of course he would automatically assume you were a hacker.

MC: I told you. I know the Savior. Although, she doesn't know me, so let's keep that on the down-low.  
Unknown: Then how am I supposed to know you're not a threat?!  
MC: The Savior's real name is Rika and she was once engaged to V, otherwise known as Kim Jihyun, a famous photographer. Everyone believes Rika committed suicide and no one knows that she blinded V. Your name is Unknown, also known as Saeran Choi, Saeyoung's twin brother, and he left you with your crazy ass mother when you two were children and never looked back. I know everything about you, Mint Eye, and the RFA.  
Unknown: ?!  
MC: You need me, Saeran. Without me, you have no hopes of taking the RFA down. I know every in and out. You and I both know the RFA has to be taken down. I've had every opportunity to go to them before this, and yet I haven't. Why do you think that is?  
Unknown: ... Don't betray me, or I will find you and I will kill you.  
MC: Loud and clear.

You open the door to the apartment and set your bag in the same place you always did, on the desk right next to the computer. You move to the kitchen for an abandoned granola bar, navigating the place like a pro having been here far too many times. Each time, you loved someone different, and some you loved more than others. Jaehee and Yoosung... you view both of them as close friends rather than romantic partners. Yoosung was too young and misguided, and immature at best, however he was youthful and easy to talk to. Easy to befriend. And Jaehee... hard-working and trustworthy. A little hard around the edges at first, but once you got through to her, she was as dedicated as a woman could be, both to her work and to her friends.

Then there was Zen. You had loved him first, but his ego had always been too much. Now, of course, you understood that it came from a place of rejection rather than a love of fame, but she'd grown tired of it after a while. Still, he had a good heart and he'd been a good first choice for your heart.

As for Jumin... he wasn't what the entire RFA thought he was. He wasn't so cold-hearted and emotionless, but rather guarded and lacked trust in others. Too many people had reached out to love him for all the wrong reasons, and too many had left when he refused to give him just that. All he had wanted in the end was someone's loyalty.

And then there was Seven.

Seven's happy front was nothing compared to the complicated webs and strings that resided under his smiles. You hadn't been expecting such dark complications when you had finally played his route, but it took very little time for you to fall in love with him. You'd been determined to see him through to the end, to show him that not everyone was the same. That there was someone who would love him despite everything he was and all of his past. And through that determination, you'd truly fallen in love with him and wanted nothing but his happiness in the end.

That's why you were here. You needed to see him happy. To see Mint Eye taken down before Rika could do the damage she wanted and before Seven got shot. Even though him and Saeran made it work in the end, their relationship was delicate and was treading on thin ice. If you could get Saeran to trust you... maybe you could help him see reason to loving his brother once again.

If not, then you would have to reset.

Again.

 _A_ _t least I'd get to fall in love with Saeyoung all over again..._

The phone in her pocket pinged, alerting her that there was a conversation happening. It was now or never.

 _MC has entered the chat room.  
_ Yoosung: Failed my midterms fml T_T  
Yoosung:   
707: Cuz u played LOLOL all night lol.  
Jumin: _If you want to work for our company, you should take care of your GPA._  
Yoosung: I'm still on the list?! +_+

Yoosung:   
Jumin: _Yes.  
_ 707: Nice~ Can't believe u get to work straight after college lol  
707: **In this day and age!  
** Zen: Lame. It's nepotism.  
Jumin: It's called recruitment actually.  
Zen: It's giving a free pass instead of actually training the worker.  
Jumin: Whatever. I couldn't care less what you say.  
Zen: What's the difference between recruitment and nepotism?  
707: Thought they r the same? O_O?  
707:   
Jumin: It's nepotism if you recruit a person you know and they aren't of any help.  
Yoosung: Oh... So you become a candidate for nepotism the same time you're recruited!  
Zen:   
707: Wait!!  
Yoosung: Why?  
Zen: ??  
707: **Think someone entered the chat room;;  
** Jumin: MC...?  
Zen: Wtf. How did it get in here?  
707: **Hacker!**  
Yoosung: Hacker!? Therae's a hacker in ouer room!!!  
Yoosung: Sevnee do somethign!!  
Zen: _Hey, typos. -_-;;_

You couldn't help but snort at the same conversation you'd seen several times. This was their first impression on a hacker, and it was a silly one. It established their personalities very well, however. After this conversation, you knew exactly what kind of people they were. You hadn't known it until after their routes, though.

707: Wait a sec. I'm searching.  
Jumin: _Who are you? Reveal yourself. Hey, Assistant Kang.  
_ Jaehee: Yes, I am here.  
Zen: You were so quiet I thought you went somewhere.  
Jaehee: Nothing out of the ordinary so I was just watching  
Jaehee: But I see something has just happened.  
Yoosung: omg  
Jumin: why is there a stranger in our chatroom?  
Jaehee: _No one can enter this chatroom without installing the private app we use... It seems someone has downloaded the RFA Messenger._  
Yoosung: I thought Seven let only us download it?  
Yoosung:   
Zen: Maybe someone downloaded the app on two phones?  
707: Maybe?  
Jumin: Who downloaded it twice?

You decided it was time to enter before 707 could kick you out of the app.

MC: Hello...  
Yoosung: **Gahhhh it's talking!!  
** Yoosung:   
Zen: So it's not two smartphones.  
Jumin: _who is it?  
_ Yoosung: Find out what it is!  
Jaehee: How did you find out about this place? where did you download the application?  
707: **Oh...^^; Wait.  
** Zen: What is it. Hurry and tell me.  
707: I traced the IP...  
707: It's from Rika's apartment.  
Yoosung: **Rika's apartment?**  
Jumin: Where was it?  
Jaehee: _The location is not revealed. I know it to be classified._  
707: Anyways, someone must have broken into her apt.  
707: It talked now, so it must be a person ^^;

You couldn't help but feel your heart shatter at seeing 707 talk so freely again. While at the end of their adventure, he had returned to his old self, it was nice to see him again. See him speak so cheerfully. And you missed him so much already. You had to keep her goal in mind.

Yoosung: So it hacked the program, Seven?  
707: Yup  
Yoosung: Who are you?! How did you get into Rika's apartment?!  
Yoosung: How did you get this app?!  
Yoosung: Gah~ so scared right now...  
Yoosung:   
Yoosung: I thought the apartment has a passworh lobk?  
Zen: _Typo  
_ Jaehee: I assume it was a break in.  
Jaehee: _Username "MC", I recommend that you confess._

You chuckle to yourself again. Jaehee was so determined, and she always was. She worked so hard with such little pay.

Zen: Jaehee, would you voluntarily confess to everything if it were you?  
Jaehee: No. But it is good to ask first.  
707: Lolol Jumin: Quit shitting around.  
Jumin: _MC... Who are you?_ Jumin: _Reveal yourself, stranger.  
_ Jumin: If you do not reveal yourself, you will pay.  
Zen: _Stranger you will pay? Lmfao  
_ Zen: omg~*so scary*~  
Zen: It might be a girl.  
707: That's sexist lol. U should watch what u say now that ur a famous actor.  
Zen: I'm not famous;; just a bit recognizable.  
Yoosung: Nah~ Look at the youtube hits~  
Zen: Dude. Stawp;; 7  
07: lolol  
Jaehee: _That video is still excellent no matter how many times I watch it._

You smile at Jaehee's commentary. From the first time you played Jaehee's route, you believed that she and Zen belonged together more than you and him did. That was one of the reasons you'd wanted to reset him; to give the two a chance to be together. She had been so happy with him in her route, and that was all you wanted for her.

Yoosung: Zen, when do you start your next piece?  
Zen: ;;Don't know. It's up to the director.  
Yoosung: He's a celebrity lol! I'm gonna tell everyone at school.   
Jumin: _Hey.  
_ Jumin: **Don't get distracted.  
** Yoosung: Oh, right. Username MC...  
Jaehee: _... An abrupt stranger....  
_ 707: My hands r shaking as I hack.  
Jumin: _Who are you? Reveal yourself right now._  
Yoosung: **Yees! Who are u?!** Zen: Use proper english please.  
707: If it doesn't say anything I'll hack in and find out.  
Zen: ...Maybe  
Zen: **one of my fans?**  
Jumin: 

Such a classic Zen line. He assumes everyone is a fan of his, save for Jumin who is very far from. Though, why the two of them can never get along, you're not sure. They're not very much alike, but at the very least, if they took a step back, they could be friends.

The conversation goes on in the same way it always does; they send you pictures of themselves after finding out you're a girl, you ask about Rika as if you're clueless, and you inform them how you got in - through an  _Unknown_ source. They talk about their boss, V, and how serious it is that she's in Rika's apartment surrounded by confidential information. They discuss the fact that you're a girl and talk about 707 calling V.

Then V enters the chatroom, and you're not sure whether you should be angry at him or if you should pity him.

 _V has entered the chatroom._  
Zen: Show me a photo  
707:  **Nope~**  
707: How dare you try to violate someone’s privacy like that.  
707:

 

Jumin: ?  
Zen: Is that MC!?  
Yoosung:  **omg I thought we were respecting her privacy?**  
Jaehee: ;;;;;  
Jaehee: That is a photo of me.  
Yoosung: Oh right! Sorry I was too excited;;  
Zen:  _So..sorry for not recognizing you;;  
_ Jaehee: Mr. Han, you can’t recognize me either?  
Jumin: …  
Jumin:  _Now what are we going to do?  
_ 707: V’s coming here soon. He just hung up.  
V: I’m already logged in.  
707: Oh, V! You’re here ^_^  
Zen: Finally he’s here.  
V: Yeah. I guess I’m the last one to know about this.  
JUMIN: Oh well.  
V: How is everyone? Jaehee, you’ve been well?  
Jaehee: Yes. It’s been a long time, V.  
Yoosung: Hey V  
V: Hey.  
V: Well, I heard about a situation.  
V: MC is currently in Rika’s apartment with info from a stranger and logged into this chatroom.  
707: I told him everything through the phone.  
Jumin: Who disclosed the password for Rika’s apartment?  
V: Well. No one knew the password. I don’t even know.

A scoff escapes you at that. Of course Rika never told him. Rika never trusted anyone for any reason. Despite being engaged to V, she only trusted him as far as she could throw him. And yet, like a whipped dog, he went crawling back to her every time. God, what had she done to make V so desperate for her attention...

Maybe you'd be able to save V, too.

  
Yoosung: … _Thought V knew.  
_ Yoosung: She never invited me to her apartment.  
Jumin: It’s the same for everyone else.  
Jumin:  _No one’s been there before.  
_ Yoosung: Tell us the address. I’ll go there… I want to check who MC is myself.  
Yoosung: Seven, you know right? You traced the IP just now.  
707: Uhm. Sorry but…  
707:  _I can’t tell you that.  
_ Yoosung: ??  
Yoosung: I’m her surviving family.  
ZEN: Maybe because you’re just her cousin?  
707:  _Not even her immediate family can go.  
_ 707:  _And the apartment doesn’t belong to Rika.  
_ Yoosung: Then who?  
V: Me.  
Yoosung: You don’t even know the password!  
V:  _I just respected her privacy.  
_ Yoosung: …Were you really in a relationship with her?  
Jumin: I can’t believe you never knew the password.  
V: I’ve never even been there. I just know where it is.  
V: Anyways, the apartment is in my name.  
V: Rika usually worked there. There are a lot of documents in there that must not be damaged.  
V: I can’t reveal the address because all the classified information about this organization is stored there, plus other sensitive materials.  
Jumin:  _I didn’t know the place contained sensitive material.  
_ Yoosung: You don’t trust us enough to let us go, right?  
Jumin: Don’t take it personally. It’s better to be ignorant sometimes.  
V: Yes, for the reason that Jumin said.  
V: Anyways, I can’t tell you the address. I’m sorry.  
Yoosung: Then how did Seven know that the address he traced is Rika’s apartment?  
Jaehee:  _Since he’s responsible for the organization’s classified information.  
_ 707: Yup. That’s true, but also I’m the one who developed this app.  
707: Rika wanted to take care of some work through this too.  
707: I went to her place to link the app with some of the documents in her computer.  
Yoosung: Oh…  
Jumin: I see.  
V: Only Luciel and I know the address.  
V: I repeat, since the information must be protected, please do not attempt to find the apartment.  
V: Do not ask Sen about it and Sen, please do not reveal the address.

You decide to poke the beast a little bit. You already knew what classified information was in the room - including information on Rika's involvement in the creation of Mint Eye. So, you type out your next message and flop down on the bed with the granola bar in your hand.

MC: What’s classified information?  
V: All the information there is classified.  
V: So MC… Is that what I call you?  
V: Please do not touch anything there.  
V: For example, if you try to force open one of the drawers…  
V: The alarm will ring.

"Bullshit," you mutter to yourself, forcing a bite of the food into your mouth. There was no alarm, and opening the drawers didn't activate the supposed bomb that was hidden within the apartment floors.

Zen:  
Yoosung: What do we do about her apartment?  
Yoosung: Can MC stay there?  
V:  _First…  
_ V:  _No one here is going to go to Rika’s apartment, right?  
_ V: Since the information involves everyone around us, there might be trouble if we are not careful.  
Jumin: Yeah yeah. You can stop explaining. Classified information. Got it.  
Jumin: But it is a mystery how a complete stranger could end up there.  
V: If it’s someone who knows the password…  
V: It might be someone that Rika trusted.  
Jumin: Someone Rika trusted?  
707:  
Zen:  
V: I am only guessing...  
707: So then that ‘Unknown’ person…  
707: knew Rika!?  
707: I can’t believe she trusted someone more than V.  
Yoosung: I don’t believe that. She couldn’t have trusted anyone more than us…  
Zen: That is… a bit surprising.  
V: It’s hard to believe myself… But we shouldn’t assume that we knew everything about Rika.  
V: She…  
V: had a deep world of her own.  
Yoosung: …

 _Yeah, a deep world of chaos and destruction_ , you think to yourself. Rika wanted to desperately be pure - you knew that from the RFA member's memories. She wanted to see the light and the good in the world, but in the end, reality and pessimism consumed her and she was left a hardened shell of what you can only describe as misguided evil.

You take another bite and watch the conversation move.

Jumin: … _Anyways, V, continue.  
_ V: If I am right.  
V: MC being at her apartment right now…  
V:  **Rika must have wanted that.  
** Jumin:  _Rika called in a complete stranger from up in the sky?  
_ V: I’m not saying she wanted Sen to be there… but maybe…  
V: Rika wanted someone to do the work she did before.  
V: At the place she worked before.  
Jumin:  _What_ … _?  
_ Zen: No way…  
Jaehee: The work Rika did before…  
707:  **Hosting parties?  
** Zen: You mean Rika’s party.  
Yoosung:  _Do you really think… that Rika planned this?  
_ Yoosung: If she made that decision when she was alive…  
V: That’s my guess… but yes.  
V: Since she didn’t leave a will.  
V: According to the information Luciel provided, MC doesn’t seem dangerous.  
Jumin: I’m not sure about this to be honest…  
V: Besides, she’s basically in the same boat now that she knows about this messenger app.  
V: Whoever she might be.  
707:  _But still…  
_ Zen: If that’s what V thinks…

Sighing at everyone's willingness to blindly follow V, you toss the wrapper of the granola bar to the trash bin, missing by a millimeter. The wrapper fell to the ground with a whisper, and you can't help but feel that, somehow, that wrapper wanted to help you trash the apartment.

MC: I just came here to find the owner of the phone… What is going on…  
707: Owner of the phone?  
707: You were phished lol  
707: According to V’s guess, Rika… the person who used to live there  
707: had the person ‘Unknown’ convince u to go to the apartment.  
Jaehee:  _Wait…  
_ Jaehee: I understand… that everyone values V’s opinion.  
Jaehee: But…  
Jaehee:  _This chatroom is strictly prohibited to strangers.  
_ Jaehee:  _If I may say so, I think that we must verify what MC has said.  
_ Jaehee:  _For all we know, MC could have simply made up that ‘Unknown’ person.  
_ 707: I feel like Jaehee’s glasses are glinting right now.  
Jaehee: ?  
V: Thank you for your opinion, Jaehee.  
V: But right now, I would appreciate it if you could trust me.  
V: If MC is not to be trusted, we can deal with it then.

"You should deal with me now, V." If only any of them had an inkling of an idea as to what you planned to do. You would play both sides this time, cooperating with Mint Eye and Saeran to "take down" the RFA while working to take down Mint Eye at the same time.

Trying to get into Saeran's cold heart so you can convince him that Rika is nothing but a snake who needs to be put down, and that his brother never purposefully abandoned him.

You begin to stand up, ready to toss your phone aside, but just as your arm finishes extending for the throw, you hear your ringtone go off with a phone call. Confused, as this hadn't happened the previous times, you scramble for your phone, fumbling around with it in the air until you catch it with both hands. When you flip the phone around to its proper orientation, you see a call from an  _unknown_ number.

Despite knowing exactly who it is, you pick it up with a question. "Hello?"

"I'm coming to get you."

Saeran's voice sends chills through your body. Like his attitude, it was unwavering and bone-chilling. It was the voice of the enemy, of someone you hated and yet pitied at the same time.

"W-" You shake your head and look around the apartment. "Saeran, I just got to the apartment, I can't leave now. This is where all the information is."

"So grab it." You can hear the jangling of keys in the background, shortly followed by a car starting. "I don't trust you and I'd rather keep you near me where I can keep an eye on you. It'll be easier to kill you if you're standing in the same room."

You bite your tongue, holding back a retort that might've got you killed before you even got to see him. His threats weren't empty and you knew that well - he had a gun and he wasn't afraid to shoot it - but without you, there was no hope of him getting to Saeyoung.

You had to stay focused if you wanted to fix the mess.

"Fine," you snap, already moving around the room to open drawers for contact information. The RFA members would give you names and you would invite them, but the classified information they needed (and you, too, to help understand Mint Eye) was here.

He hung up the phone without another word.

You tear your bag from the desk and begin shoving paper after paper in it. Saeran would be here in minutes, and you had no doubts that your first introduction wasn't going to go well.

Then you remember that you were still in the chat room.

Again, you scramble for your phone to open the app and see where the conversation had gone.

Jaehee: …MC, I think you were led to that place without any explanation.  
Jaehee: If V is right, it seems that someone sent you there to fill Rika’s position.  
Jaehee: Considering that you knowing about the existence of that place as satisfies the conditions for joining the organization, following V’s orders…  
Jumin: Fyi, currently there are six members. Me, V, Zen, 707, Yoosung, and Assistant Kang. Everyone in the chatroom.  
Zen: If MC joins, it will be seven.  
Yoosung: Is she… really becoming a new member?  
Jumin: _We didn’t hear from MC yet.  
_ Jumin: MC.  
Jumin: _All we are trying to do is host parties, raise funds, gather people_ …  _and things like that.  
_ Jumin:  _Our organization has done a lot of good so far.  
_ Jumin: …  _You will never regret joining.  
_ Yoosung: I thought Jumin was against her. Why the sudden change?  
Jumin:  _I am only following V’s decision.  
_ Zen: If you join the organization, we’ll be able to talk more. Not everyday we meet a pretty girl.  
707:  _Uhm. How do you know she’s pretty? I didn’t even send the photo.  
_ Zen: Send the photo.  
707: No.  
Zen: Damn.  
JUMIN:  _Men will be men.  
_ Zen: And you’re not a man?  
707: Heard somewhere Jumin’s gay.  
Zen: Omg…  
Zen: Go away. You scare me.  
JUMIN:  _Not even worth responding to that.  
_ Yoosung: But Zen, you have really low standards. You still care for looks?  
Jaehee:  _Famous people must not act that way.  
_ Zen: Gosh~ I’m not famous~  
Jumin:  _Everyone stop messing around.  
_ Jumin:  _I was talking?  
_ Jaehee: I apologize.  
Jumin:  **MC, will you join RFA?**

This was it. After you agreed, there was no going back. Yet again, you didn't get much of a choice in the matter. After they discovered that you were at the apartment, surrounded by the information none of them could access, they would practically beg you to host parties.

MC: Alright. It looks fun. I’ll give it a go.  
Yoosung: That’s a fast decision..  
Jumin:  _Ha. I like it.  
_ Jaehee: I wonder if you have thought this through.  
ZEN: Welcome, MC. Oi, Seven. Register her info asap.  
707: Ya. I have to register her before she changes her mind.  
Yoosung: Even the processing is fast…  
Yoosung: MC must be a positive person, seeing that she made her decision so fast.  
Jaehee: She may not be a careful person.  
Jumin:  _Assistant Kang, is there something you do not like about her?  
_ Yoosung: Hey~ Jaehee, don’t be like that.  
Jaehee: It is not that.  
Yoosung: …I’m glad we have a girl now! It was a hopeless sausage fest until now lol.  
Yoosung: MC! If you have any questions, I can answer them.  
Yoosung: Ask anything you need.  
Yoosung: No need to worry about anything ^^  
707: Good. I’ve registered her as a member! Oh. We don’t really need ur signature.}  
Yoosung: You’re going to collect all the info so she can’t run away, right?  
707: ^^… Since it’s a verbal contract.  
Zen: … _Don’t collect anything without MC’s permission.  
_ 707: Ya.  
707: I’m gonna leave for a sec. Need to check sth.  
Zen: Background check on MC?  
707: Nah~ It’s work. I have to make a living somehow.  
Yoosung: Stop it. You get paid enough.  
707: How do u know how much I get paid?

They were such a lively bunch and loved to poke jabs at each other. Seven especially enjoyed getting a rise out of people through his insistent, obnoxious commentary. It was one of the things you loved so much about him. He never meant any ill-harm in doing so, he only wanted to keep things light and happy.

You return to packing, knowing that soon everyone would leave the chatroom to go about their business.

What you were doing was next to insane. The likelihood of you getting found out prior to your success was much higher than the possibility of you actually solving the world's problems. At that point, the RFA was likely to reject you and Saeran was likely to kill you.

If that happened, there was no chance you'd be able to reset and go back to the ending with 707 that you wanted. The RFA and Mint Eye would be no better off than where they were now, and Saeran and Saeyoung would be enemies for the rest of their lives.

You  _could not_ fail.

A knock on the door startles you hard enough that you drop your bag to the floor. You knew who it was, of course, but his arrival had still been unexpected.

"Just a minute!" You shout. You stick one last pile of papers into your bag and fly over to the door to fling it open.

Saeran was standing there, mint green eyes cold with sweeping white hair covering pieces of his upper face while a bandanna covered the lower half.

He held his gun at the ready, next to his side, pointed in your direction.

"Let's go."

This time, you can't help but scoff. "You need to think this through, Saeran. Saeyoung's already hacked into my phone location, not to mention the video surveillance in the apartment he set up for Rika. If I leave, he's only going to get suspicious and follow us. Not to mention, if someone sees you with that bandanna on your face like that, they're going to assume you're kidnapping me and call the police." You throw your bag over your shoulder and fold your arms. Truth be told, you were absolutely horrified at the idea of moving more than an inch with a gun pointed at you, and you didn't want to move until he'd at least pointed it somewhere else.

Saeran's stoic face held your gaze for a moment before he reached up to tug the bandanna down. Next, his hand moved to his jacket pocket to pull out his phone. A few taps of a button, and he returned it.

"Let's go." A given order, no room for argument. "I've cut off his access to the phone for now. I'll put a better firewall up when we get back to base." He lifted his gun just a bit higher; not enough to reveal it to the others in the hall, but enough to serve as a reminder for her that it was still there.

You find yourself glaring at him. "That's unnecessary, but if it makes you feel better." And with that, you quit the room, shutting the door behind you and listening to the lock click into place before you head to the elevator with Saeran right at your side, gun still pointed towards you.

God, could he be any more unnerving?

It didn't matter. With a slight shake of your head, you push your thoughts away. You were doing this for Saeyoung out of love, and out of sympathy for Saeran. Perhaps out of some spite for Rika and pity for V, but Saeyoung and Saeran were your priorities.

You wanted to fix the mess that Rika made.

And fix it you would.

Even if you had to take down Rika herself.

 

 


	2. Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC tries to get used to Saeran threatening her, and Saeran tries to get used to having MC hover while he works.

"What are you doing?"

You squint and look up from your phone, incredulous. "The same thing I was doing five minutes ago when you asked, I'm sitting in the chatroom waiting."

His face remained focused on his screens, and although he had no facial expressions, you could feel the ice in his voice. "Don't be smart with me."

"Well, you asked, I answered. It's not my fault-"

Saeran's fingers paused their typing. He still wasn't looking at you, but you felt as if he was. You could feel the underlying threat he was giving you for speaking so openly with him. Being smart probably wasn't the  _smartest_ thing you could be doing right now, but you didn't exactly like this man. It was hard to be kind to someone who wasn't afraid to pull the trigger.

But you also felt sorry for him. Over and over, your brain had been repeating,  _he's only been brainwashed. No big deal_.

Your lips mash together as you stare at him, both of you frozen, waiting for the other to do something.

Finally, you cave and press the play button again, grumbling, "Sorry."

He doesn't respond, but he starts typing again. You'll take that as a sign of forgiveness, at least.

Your phone pings, alerting you that someone entered the chatroom. Immediately after, it pings again. You glance down and see that Saeyoung and Yoosung had logged in.

The fact that Saeyoung was in the chatroom made your heart skip a beat. God, how could the mere thought of him send your heart flying into the wind? Already, you were picturing him during your last play when the two of you fell in love. You could remember the moment he learned to put his trust into you, the moment he decided to be happy and not let his deeper, tormenting thoughts get to him. You can remember saving Saeran and Vanderwood, remember Saeyoung's kiss...

"Fucking hell, you look like a school girl with a crush with that expression on your face. Knock it off."

Saeran's voice pulls you out of your reminiscing, and you look up to see him still typing away while staring at his multi-monitored computer. When had he even glanced at you? By the position of his body, he hadn't even turned his head.

You clear your throat and sit back and enter the chatroom. It pains your heart to see the love of your life talking with you once again like he had no idea who you were, but you need to see his silliness for yourself once again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

For the first time all morning, he turns to look at you, and you could see just the faintest raised brow of doubt from him.

"Saeyoung's in the chatroom," you say, drawing the attention away from yourself. Surely that would do it, if anything.

It worked. Saeran stood up and walked over to stand next you, uncomfortably close, so he could see your screen. "What's the bastard saying?"

You clench your jaw at the insult, resisting the urge to defend Saeyoung immediately. Saeyoung had done nothing wrong to Saeran, but Rika's brainwashing made it seem as if he had. "He's just talking about how he's stalking me. Whatever you did to the GPS on my phone is impressive, because he still thinks I'm at the apartment."

Saeran ignored the compliment. "He's finding information on you?"

You type a quick response to the chatroom with him standing over your shoulder. "Of course. He's a hacker. It's what he does."

"Seems invasive and rude."

You give him a derisive snort, eyes glued to the screen. "Says the one who led me to an apartment full of confidential information on people."

He chuckles next to you, stunning you momentarily. "Point made."

By the time you can think straight long enough to look at him, his face had returned to its normal expressionless stare.

 _Dammit_.

 Your attention returns to your phone screen as Yoosung and Saeyoung chat about you as if you weren't watching their every word.

Saeran finally stops hovering and moves back to his computer, his fingers flying over the keys allowing the clicking to fill the room's silence. Eventually, though, the sound of nothing but clickity-clacks, computer fans, and air conditioning start to eat at your sanity. You can feel it slowly hypnotizing you to sleep...

"I'm going for a walk," you announce, standing up before you can slip into unconsciousness while Saeran is in the same room. He might try to rob you of your fingernails while you sleep.

Saeran pushes away from his chair, spinning around as the chair rolls away from the keyboard. Without speaking, he stands up and moves to the door.

You scowl. "What, realize you're late for a meeting?"

He doesn't look at you, but you can feel the radiating annoyance. "I thought you wanted to go for a walk."

"Yeah,  _I_. As in, me. One person. You don't have to come with."

A nonchalant, one-shouldered shrug is his only response as he pushes open the door, holding it with one arm and gesturing for you to go out into the hall.

Giving him a firm  _hrumph_ , you walk out the door. At least he has manners.

You walk down the hall, your only memories of the time you and Saeyoung had come in here to find Saeran. The situation had been permanently branded into your mind. Each step you take, the memories get stronger, and you can feel it all in your chest, and all you want is to curl up on the floor and rock yourself into a safe place of mind-

Someone taps your shoulder, startling you from your dazed state. Like a cat and a cucumber, you jump half out of your skin and throw yourself back against the nearest wall to escape the thing your mind immediately associated with danger and death.

It takes you several blinks to realize it was just Saeran.

"You stopped walking. Why'd you say you wanted to go for a walk if you didn't want to walk?" Matter-of-fact. There was no beating around the bush with him.

"S-Sorry." You clear your dry throat and turn away from him, quickly shuffling back down the hall.

Saeran catches up with ease, walking just behind your right shoulder. "Why'd you stop?"

Your spine stiffens. Why did he care? You spare a glance back, but his eyes are glued to the end of the hall, as if you didn't exist. "Just got lost in my thoughts."

"You look pale. Are you going to pass out on me?" He almost sounds amused, teasing.

"No," you say, immediately playing on the defensive team. "I'm fine."

"You were having flashbacks."

You finally stop walking, so suddenly that he bumps into you. He finally looks at you, and he looks not only frustrated, but slightly concerned. His face changes quickly. If not for Saeyoung's success in bringing Saeran home, you'd never have any idea how to read the subtleties in Saeran's expressions. As of now, he wouldn't allow himself that kind of weakness (save for his few breaking points of near-insanity) but eventually he'd show his emotions somewhere than in his eyes.

"I... yeah, I was." Your eyebrows push together. "How did you know that?"

Saeran begins walking again, and you find yourself walking next to him. "Saeyoung left me alone. I relive the days of my mother." How could he so blatantly speak of his past? "He betrayed me. He promised to bring me with him, and instead, he left me. If not for Savior, I would likely still be stuck with  _her_."

You knew he suffered from nightmares, horrible ones that often left him unable to sleep, but you hadn't known that he lived in them.

"I'm... sorry." You're not sure what else to say. He doesn't want your pity, your sympathy... you'd be lucky if he didn't wring your neck for simply saying that.

Instead, he doesn't respond, eyes returning to their thousand-yard stare as you turn a corner.

"What are yours of?"

Internally, you cringe. What could you tell him that wasn't a lie but was still believable?

"I watched a friend get shot once," you say, choosing your words carefully, "and I was held at gunpoint once. Threatened by a bomb. Watched someone die." You blow a hard puff of air out of your mouth. "Totally normal stuff, right?"

He doesn't answer, and you can't help but feel the conversation has come to a close. For several minutes, you walk in silence by his side, his hands shoved in his pockets. Eventually, the two of you come to the end of the corridor, and in the main room in front of you sits Rika's throne sits, empty. Part of you is disappointed she's not sitting there where you can suffocate her, but that's exactly the reason you're glad she's not.

"She never wanted any of it, you know," Saeran says, entering the vast room with his arms open wide. "She just wanted a safe place for everyone. Where there was nothing bad. A paradise. It doesn't come without pain, of course, but what does in life?"

You can't help but notice he seems more at ease in the room, yet more tense at the same time. Like his subconscious and his conscious mind can't agree. He says the words with a happy tone, but his eyes are empty.

This wasn't the life he wanted, either.

Still, you force yourself to smile. You have a role to play. "I know. That's what Mint Eye is for, right? Everlasting paradise? Everlasting peace? That's what we want. That's why we're both here."

His lips are a firm line as he turns to look at you. His eyes seem glossy, as if he's nearing tears, and his brows are pushed together in pain. His face is a contorted mix of disbelief and relief.

He approaches you, slowly, step by step. You resist the urge to step backwards as he pauses, not inches from your face. He picks up a lock of your hair and holds it in his palm, studying the texture and shine.

_Do you have any concept of personal space, good sir?_

Saeran smiles, but it's almost too happy. "I'm so glad to hear you say that. I thought you'd been lying when you said you knew Savior, but now I see... now I know. You want peace just as I do. You want to fight your phantoms, your pain, and find paradise."

You feel your stomach twist uncomfortably. It's good that he believes you, but in your heart, you feel as though you're betraying Saeyoung. Even though he's the reason you're here, you can't help but feel that you're doing the wrong thing.

Suddenly, he grabs your hand, excitedly pulling you across the room like an excited child. "Come! We should go see the Savior. I'm sure she'd be-"

"No!" The word blurts from your mouth too quickly, your hand jerking back into your own possession. He turns to find you standing there, giving you a confused and hurt look. "I only know that she's busy," you supply, hoping to cover your fear. "I would hate to interrupt her. Besides, Jaehee Kang will be taking her lunch break soon, and she'll undoubtedly log into the chat. I want to be there. I have to still pretend I'm at the apartment, no?"

He nods in understanding, and your shoulders fall, releasing the tension you'd felt. If Saeran had brought you to Rika under the expectations you already knew her... it wouldn't go well for you. You'd be lucky if you lived to the end of the night in that case.

"We should head back, then," he says, returning to his stone-faced expression. Without much else to say or do, you leave the room on his heels and head back to the office where your phone was still sitting on the desk. Saeran heads immediately to the chair to begin working on coding as you pop back into the messenger. It wasn't quite time for her break yet, but you wanted to be in the chatroom when she got there.

As you're sitting on the couch on the side of the room, staring at your phone and waiting, you suddenly hear the crinkling of a plastic bag. Looking up, you see that Saeran had pulled out a bag of Honey Buddha chips and had begun snacking on them.

You hold back a snicker. So, they did have some similarities.

Knowing Jaehee would be another few minutes, you waltz over to him and pick up the bag, as if you're amazed to see it. "Honey Buddha chips? I didn't think they sold these anymore. Where did you get them?"

Saeran snatches the bag from your hand, though not in an unfriendly way. "I did some work for a company who had crates of them. Instead of being paid in money, which I have no use for, they paid me in these." He chomps down on another chip, then holds the open end up to you.

Smiling sadly, you reach in and grab a few, picking at them one by one. "Are they your favorite?"

He nods once as he shoves another into his mouth and sets the bag down. "Honey Buddha and Ph.D. Pepper. Can't get a better snack."

In this moment, he reminds you so much of Seven that your chest clenches, forcing you to choke on the chip you'd just tried to swallow.

Saeran turns to look at you, concerned. "You're supposed to chew it, not inhale it."

You pat your chest and clear your throat. "Sorry, I wanted to try adapting my lungs to breathing in Honey Buddha. Probably not my best idea."

"Definitely not." He reaches down to the other side of his chair and opens a mini fridge you hadn't seen before, pulling a can of Ph.D. Pepper from inside and handing it to you.

Painfully grateful, you pop open the can and down half of it. You hadn't liked it before, but because of Saeyoung, you'd learned to love it. "Thanks."

He gives you a firm nod of his head. Just as he starts typing away, you hear your phone ping with a message. You're tempted to throw yourself onto the couch in excitement of seeing your old friend in the chatroom, but resist the urge due to your... situation.

You set the soda on his desk and flop back onto the couch, picking up your phone mid-bounce and heading right into the chat.

 _Jaehee has entered the chatroom_.

MC: Hello, Jaehee.  
JAEHEE: Hello, MC.  
JAEHEE: I was just thinking about you.  
MC: About me?  
JAEHEE: Yes. Since you are at Rika’s apartment.  
JAEHEE:  _And other than you, no one can go near that place._  
JAEHEE:  _It is quite an irony._  
JAEHEE: We who’ve worked with Rika cannot enter the place,  
JAEHEE: and yet you who are a complete stranger can stay there…  
JAEHEE: The apartment that you are in probably has all the documents relevant to what Rika did.  
JAEHEE: If you fill Rika’s position.  
JAEHEE: then maybe we will be able to host the parties again.  
JAEHEE: What do you think?  
MC: I’ll think about it.  
JAEHEE: I agree that it’s something to be carefully considered.  
JAEHEE:  _Please take all the time you need to consider it._  
JAEHEE: But… if you decide to leave…  
JAEHEE: then Luciel and V will take time to decide whether or not to let you go peacefully.  
JAEHEE:  _Since you already know too much about the organization._  
MC: So… what will I have to do? Specifically…

JAEHEE:   
JAEHEE: That is a good question  
JAEHEE: I will explain.

You smile at Jaehee's happy flower emoticon and watch as she goes into great detail of the party and how they were put together and run. Just as you were getting lost in your memories of helping her open up her own coffee shop, Saeran sits next to you, startling you so much you practically throw your phone at him. Luckily, he has quicker reflexes than you, and catches the phone before it can hit him anywhere.

"Jumpy, are we?"

Snorting, you try to take your phone back. "Stop breaking my thought processes. It's not healthy."

He jerks his hand away and checks your phone screen himself. "Talking about the party expectations?"

Sighing heavily, you nod. "Yeah. Jaehee's all about work and little play. Enough so that she forgets to treat herself sometimes."

Slowly, he hands your phone back. "You really do know them well."

You type out a quick response to Jaehee before answering.

MC: Is the party that grand?  
JAEHEE: In terms of size, it is quite magnificent.  
JAEHEE: But it is not only that…

"I've done my research," you respond. "They all deserve the happiness we're working towards." You fall into your role, portraying your sadness and longing for them in a form of pity. "I hope one day they can come to Mint Eye and find their paradise."

Saeran rests a hand on your shoulder. "Between the two of us, I think we'll be able to manage something. Savior will bless them, as she did me and as she will do to you."

You want to ask what he means, but you're afraid of the answer. Instead, you decide to keep your mouth shut. Rika was running a cult down here, and while you had some idea of what went on behind-the-scenes, you didn't want - or need - the gory details of it.

"I hope they all get help..."

* * *

 

5:00 P.M. rolled around quicker than you expected it to. Thus far, you'd been trained, threatened, and become the source of happiness for the RFA. This first day was always exhausting chat-wise, no matter how many times you'd gone through it. You found yourself wishing that Saeyoung wasn't so busy. You knew that Agent Vanderwood was likely hovering over his shoulder, reminding him that his life was on the line, but that did nothing to ease the feeling that you were missing a piece of yourself.

You diddled around on your phone for a while, playing mindless tapping tycoon games, and finally, when 5:37 P.M. came around, you caved to your body's desires and stood up from the couch.

"I need food."

Saeran didn't turn around. "Kitchen is down the hall to the right. Feel free to make whatever you like."

You walk towards the door, but pause in the doorway. "Want anything while I'm there?" You felt weird walking out without asking.

He only held up his Honey Buddha chips as an answer.

Chuckling, you slip outside muttering, "You really are twins."

Your hand trails along the marble wall as you make your way to the kitchen. It's smooth and cold under your grip, and it somehow keeps you grounded. The texture is smoother than paper. Just how did people make art such as this? How did someone take a chunk of stone and make it smoother than silk? If you could wear marble, it'd be the most expensive thing on the market.

 _Sounds like something Jumin would invest in_. It might not be cat-related, but that man loved his eccentric ideas.

As you pull up to the kitchen door, you hear muttering inside. There were people in there. Believers, most likely.

You take a step away, slowly, but are stopped by a loud complaint from your stomach.

"Why do you have to make demands like this..." you scold your own body for being so high-maintenance and walk inside, deciding that food was more important than not meeting people.

 _Maybe they'll become potential party guests._ You snort to yourself quietly at the thought.

There were only two of them, snacking on some homemade cold sandwiches and chips. When they see you, their conversation stops. Silence fills the room, only broken by the sounds of your feet moving across the floor. If they're not going to speak, you're sure as hell not going to.

You find yourself at the fridge as one of them speaks up. "I, uh, haven't seen you around here. You must be new. What's your name?"

The fridge is full of nothing but microwave and wrapped sandwiches and you scowl. They were living like college students. "MC," you respond without looking at them. The further you kept yourself distant from these people, the better off you would be in the end. "And you are?"

The female who'd spoken gestured to himself and then his friend. "I'm Hana, and this is Duri."

You settle on a pre-made snack pack with nuts and cheese, cracking it open as you turn to look at them with an amused smile. "Your names mean 'One' and 'Two'?"

Hana grinned. "We're siblings. I'm the oldest by two years. My parents thought they had a sense of humor."

Duri peeled the pin on his soda back and tipped it to his lips before making his contribution to the conversation. "If you ask me, they should've switched the names after I was born. I'm clearly number one."

Hana tore off a small piece of lettuce from her sandwich and threw it at him. "You'd rather be the female?"

He swatted the food projectile from his face, a wide smile glued to his face. "I'd be a more attractive one than you."

Their conversation devolves into a quarrel, and with a chuckle, you slip back into the fridge for two apples and leave the room without their notice.

When you return to the office, you set one apple in front of Saeran and maneuver back to the couch.

He looks up at you and scowls. "I told you I didn't want anything."

"And you need to take care of yourself better." It's exactly what you'd done to Saeyoung when you two started living together. "On that diet, you'll be sixty at thirty. Eat up."

"You're telling me what to do."

The hairs on the back of your neck rise up a bit at his tone, but you take it in stride. "I am." You nod to the apple. "It's good for you. Eat."

He seems torn between telling you to fuck off and obeying, and finally settles for the ladder, shoving the apple in his mouth as if he can fit the whole thing in there.

You watch him type from a distance, noticing how oddly aware and unaware of him you'd already become. He had his little quirks, like the way he would stop typing and his fingers would twitch as they searched for their next set of code. Or the way he would pause mid-line and role out his neck, then continue without noticing he'd done it. And yet, you were so used to his presence that he'd started silently blending into the mass of computer monitors.

"Aren't you worried you're going to go blind in a few years?" You ask without filter.

"Going blind is the least of my problems."

You're only making small talk at this point, so you let it slip away into the sounds of electronics. And after another hour, you find yourself being lulled to sleep by the hum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowowowowowow. Okay, I'm so sorry. I didn't abandon this I promise. I went on vacation and lost the writing flow, and right when I got it back, I burnt my finger pretty badly and it made typing difficult. But I will persevere. Just for you guys.  
> Anyway! Saeran seems oddly... cheerful for a bad guy in the short novels with him in them. He threatens to blow the apartment up with a damn smile. But I like to think that's just a lot of show on his part. When he talks to Rika in the secret ending, or when he's in the hospital, he really just seems sad and angry. However, it's not all show - I feel like there is a piece of him that can be happy, even if it's for the wrong things. So that's why his attitude kind of shifts in this chapter, from mistrusting stoic robot to somewhat-trusting, less-stoic robot.


	3. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slowly, you begin to see the small facets of Saeran's personality as he caves to your desire to go back to the apartment. Yes, he has a bit of a temper, but at least he has lines he won't cross...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Saeran's personality is all over the place, and that will probably be a consistent theme throughout this fic, mostly because people have several personalities depending on the situation and the people they're around. As of right now, he doesn't trust this stranger he's spending time around, so he's reacting impulsively. Maybe one of these days, he'll stop bouncing all over the place... or maybe he'll kill you first? Who knows!  
> Sorry for the long wait - with school starting, I was having a lack of inspiration for the characters. Never too late for an update though, amirite?

You wake up a few hours later, noticing that the room had gone dark. Saeran's computer monitors were no longer on and the hum of the computers had been silenced. Not only that, but Saeran was no where to be found.

Groggily, you push yourself up onto one elbow, your back stiff from sleeping uncomfortably on the couch, and reach over to the coffee table to check your phone. It was just after 1:00 A.M., and Jaehee is in the chatroom.

Ah, yes, Jumin dropped Elizabeth 3rd off at Jaehee's. She would be up and upset about it.

You sit up and stretch your arms high above your head, push your palms into your eyes and rub until you see stars, then hop into the chat.

 _You have entered the chatroom._  
MC: Are you still working, Jaehee?  
JAEHEE: Yes…  
JAEHEE: Mr. Han told me he plans to visit my house late after midnight  
JAEHEE: so I am waiting…  
JAEHEE: But I can’t help but sigh…  
JAEHEE:  
MC: Is something up?  
JAEHEE: Mr. Han…  
JAEHEE: has left Elizabeth the 3rd with me.  
JAEHEE: I think I will go crazy.

She sends a photo of Elizabeth 3rd showing her belly, and despite Jaehee's suffering, you find yourself smiling. Elizabeth 3rd truly was a beautiful cat, and everyone underestimated her value to Jumin. The cat meant a lot to him for reasons only you knew and would probably ever know.

MC: I guess you don’t really like cats?  
JAEHEE: No, not really.  
JAEHEE: A cat… haha  
JAEHEE: I can ignore everything else, but the hair.  
JAEHEE: Cat hair  
JAEHEE: In short  **‘C-hair’**  
JAEHEE: The hair is going to all over my apartment and contaminate the air.  
JAEHEE: On my carpet, my sofa!  
JAEHEE: The one strand of hair I see after cleaning my apartment spotless…  
JAEHEE: makes me go crazy.

While you loved Elizabeth 3rd, you could empathize with Jaehee. When you'd done Jumin's route, the cat hair had been everywhere. He never found it obnoxious, but he also had maids to clean his penthouse. Not everyone had that luxury.

MC: Next time, don’t open the door.  
JAEHEE: …  
JAEHEE: What if I get fired?  
MC: I doubt he’ll fire you. You’re good at your job.  
JAEHEE: Oh… Thank you.  
JAEHEE: …  
JAEHEE: But… but I don’t want to take a risk with my job.  
JAEHEE: I am only a company worker with a low position.

That was far from true. Jumin did appreciate Jaehee's work, but he never showed it. He'd told you before that there was no better assistant than her, and that the only reason he gave her so much work was because she was the only one he could ever trust with the job. He'd never fire Jaehee.

JAEHEE: Anyways… thank you for your consolation.  
JAEHEE: Have you gotten used to the organization yet?

You chuckle and decide to bring up a topic you can both relate to.

MC: Zen’s so sexy I’m gonna get a heart attack.  
JAEHEE: That is only to be expected.  
JAEHEE:  _But please keep in mind.  
_ JAEHEE:  _ **He is fairly close to being a being a celebrity, so he must not get involved in any scandals.  
**_ JAEHEE:  _If you are by any chance harboring risky thoughts, I would like to warn you._

You begin typing out your next message, then hesitate. Already, you can feel old feelings coming back to you, the longing to be her friend. Wouldn't it be better if you didn't bond with her, or any of them at all? Once they find out you're nothing but a liar...

They'd never forgive you.

But you can't help yourself. You miss them too much.

MC: I only want to be Zen’s fan.  
JAEHEE: …  
JAEHEE: !!  
JAEHEE:  
JAEHEE: Welcome to the club!  
JAEHEE: I’m glad to have a kindred spirit…  
JAEHEE: Well then… I’ll be off…  
JAEHEE: I guess I’ll have to go wrestle with the cat.  
MC: Cheer up~!  
JAEHEE: Thank you.  
JAEHEE:

She logs off and you toss your phone onto the couch next to you, your head falling back against the pillows so you can stare at the ceiling. You were backstabbing all of them by becoming their friend. If none of them had any emotional attachments to you at all, this would be much easier, but you just can't bring yourself to be cold to them.

"You're awake."

Saeran's voice startles you out of your skin, an intake of air coming so hard into your lungs that you find yourself coughing.

He walks over to you as your coughing fit comes to a close. "Make some noise when you enter the room, sheesh, Saeran. You're going to give someone a heart attack."

It's too dark to see anything but a silhouette, but when you hear his voice next, you can sense a smile in it. "Come, there's a room for you to stay in. I didn't want to wake you up, you seemed to be comfortable."

 "I was until a tall dark stranger decided to pop in an interrupt my sleep."

You think that you can see his face contort into an amused smile, but you can't be too sure in the darkness. Instead, he offers you his hand to help guide you out of the room as if he could see perfectly fine.

Once you reach the hallway, he releases your hand and lets you follow him to a corridor that must've been reserved for Rika's believers. In the back of your mind, you wonder just how many people here knew just how much of a snake Rika was. 

 _Watch your step_ , you think in warning, _she'll bite you the first chance she gets._

"Here you are."

Saeran opens an unused door that creaks as it glides open. Inside was similar to how a dorm was designed - there was a small bed tucked into the back corner and a desk facing it, as well as a wardrobe off to the side. Besides that, the room was basically empty and no doubt allowed for the individual to turn the space into their own.

You step inside and take a quick glance around, then seat yourself on the bed. "It's pretty basic. How does R- the Savior afford something like this?"

"Her pet does," Saeran answers as he steps inside. "V's a famous photographer, though I bet you already knew that. He's the one who pays for this."

A tic sets in your jaw. Of course V pays for it. He'd do anything to make Rika happy, and as a very famous photographer, he likely had the money for it.

"That frustrates you."

When Saeran calls you out, you scold yourself for showing your emotions so easily. You'd had issues with having a poker face your whole life, but had hoped that maybe, just maybe, you'd gotten better over time. Apparently not.

"Not frustrates," you say carefully, deciding how to continue, "Sometimes I feel bad for V. He just wants her love, and she never gives it to him."

His face hardens, drowned in automatic suspicion.

"I'm just saying, you can only command a dog for so long without reward before he stops sitting. She has to be careful, or he's going to leave her."

His relaxed expression returns and you exhale a slow sigh of relief.

Saeran steps further into your room, closer to you. His presence is unnerving, but you know better than to back away from him. You needed him to trust you, which meant giving him that trust first.

He stops in front of you and picks up a lock of your hair, feeling it between his fingers. "Would you disobey commands, little girl?"

There was something underlying that sentence, but you couldn't quite put a finger on what it was. "Only if the command would hurt someone I loved."

His fingers stilled at that and he seemed to heavily contemplate those words before lowering his hand and stepping away. "That can be changed, as you will one day know that you're alone in the world, and love doesn't exist." And with that, he quit the room, shutting the door softly behind him.

Your heart aching for him, you lay back against the pillows to stare up at the high ceiling. 

Love existed. You loved him as your brother-in-law. Albeit a unruly one, he was still family to you. Just as the rest of the RFA was.

* * *

"I need to go back to the apartment."

Saeran stopped to look at you. His eyes looked heavy, as if he'd hardly slept. Not that you looked much better - you'd crashed last night after Saeran left and had slept until 11:00 the next morning. Your body was exhausted from acting, you rationalized, and still wasn't done trying to get energy back.

"You can't go back."

Your phone buzzed in your pocket, but you ignored it. Yoosung was in the chat room on his lunch break and could wait a few minutes for your reply. "Saeyoung has video cameras set up in the apartment already. It's only a matter of time before he starts checking them to make sure I'm not up to something sketchy. Unless you plan to put an irrational amount of effort into faking video footage of me doing the same thing over and over again, you should probably bring me back."

He leaned back in his chair, his arms folding against his chest as he rotated around to face you directly. "I can't keep an eye on you there."

Eyes rolling, you counter, "Then come with me. You can hide in the bathroom. You think Seven would've invaded Rika's privacy like that?"

"I'm not hiding in the bathroom!"

Snorting indignantly at his response, you run your hand back through your hair. "Then send me back there long enough for you to get some video that you can set on play over and over so Saeyoung doesn't notice. Something. I have to get back." You fold your arms in front of you. "It's either that, or I have to give them some reason for me to not be there, and you and I both know that's a little more difficult given the situation of the  _bomb_ hiding underneath the floorboards."

The mention of the bomb gave him pause. He turned towards his computer screen to stare at the coding he'd been working on. "That's why you're not going back."

Your eyebrows pull together in confusion. "Why? Because of the bomb? You're the one who-"

"I know!" His quick response has you pulling back a step. Saeran spoke with a poker face - he never yelled. "I know I was going to send you there. But that was before everything happened, before you decided to show me that you want to be a part of Mint Eye." His eyes turned back to you, narrowed. "I'm still waiting for proof. The Savior is too busy to come and train you."

Stomach dropping, you palely ask, "Train me?"

Saeran stood and crossed the room to stand in front of you. Much like he'd done last night, he took a lock of your hair in his hand and examined it closely. "We talked about this, did we not? The Savior has yet to save you. The process is difficult, but if your intentions are true, it won't be an issue. I have faith in you. I sent you to the apartment not only to take down the RFA, but also to let you join Mint Eye." The backs of his fingers brushed over your cheek, and you step away from the contact. "You will be initiated."

"And if I don't want to be initiated?" You inquired, stomach turning while you waited for an answer.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Then I'll kill you now and make sure I clean up before the Savior finds the blood and your body."

You were terrified. Completely frozen in place, your thoughts silent. Everything, for a moment, was still.

Finally, you force a scoff. "You like me too much for that."

"I'd shoot my brother if he was in the same room as me."

"I know you would. I'm not your brother."

"No, you're even less to me. I hardly know you."

That stung on a level you hadn't expected it to. As he returned to his chair, you found yourself fuming. How dare he treat you so lowly!

But then you remembered, everyone in his life except for the apparent Rika had turned their backs on him. His mother abused him, his brother abandoned him. He had no friends and was completely alone.

Your phone buzzed again, forcing your thoughts elsewhere. A quick check told you it was just Yoosung leaving the chat room as his lunch break ended. Later, Zen would pop in, and then V would come into the room for the first time since you joined the RFA by force.

You might skip that time. Dealing with V was one of the last things you wanted to do. Even though he was only a misled, love-sick man, you still hated what he did on Rika's behalf. If you were in the same chat room, you would have a hard time calling him out.

"I have to go back to the apartment, Saeran."

Exasperated, he threw his hands into his lap and said, "I told you, I'm not-"

"Rika kept the beginnings of Mint eye in the apartment. If any of the RFA members get in, Saeyoung specifically... we're all in trouble."

It was his turn to scoff. "None of them know the address, they'll never find it. Not even V knows it."

"You found it," you counter, "you found it and led me there. You think Seven can't do the same thing? He's been hacking for years, that's his job. He could find it if he works hard enough. The cameras are in there. He could trace-"

"Okay, okay!" Saeran threw his hands onto the sides of his keyboard and stood up, his chair rolling backwards across the room. "I get it. The apartment. Pack up your things and let's go."

Holding back a smile, you dash out of the room to grab your things. The apartment was your comfort zone. You'd have an easier time getting into Saeran's mind if you were there.

And hopefully, Saeyoung wouldn't find out.

* * *

 

Saeran's pacing across the wooden floors was driving your brain into the wall. He was anxious to leave, but you'd insisted on staying for the last few hours to do some work for the RFA on the laptop Rika had left.  _I need to sell my involvement,_ you insisted,  _that means finding potential guests both from the RFA members and within the files. The more they trust me, the more likely we are to bring them to Mint Eye_.

You had convinced him, but not enough for him to take a seat and relax.

"You're going to wear out the floor if you keep walking."

"I should detonate the bomb right now and blow you up."

"You'd be coming with me."

"That's fine."

"Aw, are you saying you'd die for me? You're sweet, Saeran."

You swear he growled at your response. He hated how easily you could turn things around and turn something serious into a joke. Though, if you were being honest with yourself, you were so used to living on top of a bomb that the idea of it exploding didn't even phase you anymore. Besides, had Saeran wanted to go up in flames, he wouldn't have deactivated the bomb long enough for you two to both get inside before reactivating it.

 _Thank God Rika knew the controls for it_. She'd told Saeyoung not to put a fail safe in, but on his own, he'd done it anyway. Rika knew and allowed Saeran to exploit that.

The original designs for Mint Eye sat on the desk next to you. Now that you had time to actually look through the papers, you knew that Mint Eye and Rika had to be stopped. The RFA did so much good, and Rika was so much bad.

You had to bring Saeran back into the light.

"Saeran?" You raise your voice enough to get his attention. The only reason you know you have it is because he stops his pacing. "Why do you hate Saeyoung so much?"

You knew why, quite well, but you wanted to hear it from him. You turned your chair to look at him and found him grinding his teeth, hands clenched at his sides.

"He left me with Mom." His voice was colder than the interior of a freezer. "Just packed up and left. He promised me he would take me with him when he left, but instead, the selfish bastard thought only about himself and left. He didn't give a shit about me. As far as he's concerned, I was holding him back from freedom. If it wasn't for Rika and V, I never would've gotten out of there. They saved me when Saeyoung left me in the dust."

Your tongue twists in your mouth. You had to tread carefully if you were to make it out of here alive. "What if that's not what actually happened?"

"Savior told me that's what happened."

"Rika isn't Saeyoung. There's three sides to every story, you know."

"Three?"

"Yours, mine, and the truth. The truth is usually somewhere in the middle."

His face darkened, and for the first time since you'd bumped into him, you found yourself slightly intimidated. Despite the threatening look he bore, his voice was eerily calm. "Are you calling Savior a liar, and standing up for Saeyoung?"

You shake your head in small, jerky movements. "No, that's not it. I'm just saying-"

"Then that's that."

He stormed off to sit on the bed, ending the conversation then and there.

Exhaling a breath you hadn't realized you'd been holding, you turn back to the computer.  _At least I'm still alive_. But if you were going to get through to him, you were going to need a lot more time.

And possibly body armor.

* * *

A pair of hands fall on the back of your chair as you work, causing you to immediately lean forward as your brain interpreted the sudden pressure as your chair falling backwards. Desperately, you grab the edges of the desk before realizing that you weren't actually falling backwards.

Growling, you look up to find Saeran standing behind you, staring at your screen. "For someone who so daringly stands up to me, you're easily frightened."

"Reflexes," you snap, following his gaze back to the computer. You sigh and run a hand back through your hair, ignoring how oily it feels after not showering for the past day. "It's email work for the party."

His eyes narrow as he examines the list of names. "They've already given you this many guests?"

Your back straightens a bit. No, you knew all the guests you would invite because of how many times you'd gone through the process already. Knew their names and how to find them by heart. It wasn't like you could tell Saeran that, though.

 _Yeah, I'm from the future more-or-less. I'm actually here to bring you back to Saeyoung before you shoot him in the arm because he still loves you._ Yeah, that would go over well.

"They're just ideas I've come up with. I have connections, you know. How do you think I know so much about the RFA?" The fact that you could slide so easily into the lie was impressive to you. You'd never been a great liar, but could get away with it if you had to. This was by far the best acting you'd ever done.

Saeran reached out to touch the screen, scrolling through the list of thirty-some people that you would email back and forth with for eleven days to convince them to come to the party. "I'm starting to wonder if you're a masochist."

The unexpected comment had you raising a brow. "Why do you say that?"

"Because it's 8:32 pm and you haven't even eaten dinner."

Gaping, you dash for your phone, which you'd left in your purse upon your arrival, and checked the time. Sure enough, you'd skipped dinner completely and the afternoon was completely gone.

And Saeran had holed himself up in the small studio apartment because you asked him to, and hadn't complained. Much, anyway.

The chat room had several missed messages. You'd missed not only V, but Zen and Yoosung as well.

At this rate, you were never going to build a good relationship with them. Hopefully you could call them later when Saeran wasn't around and make up for it.

Your stomach grumbled, informing you that you were, in fact, starving. You place a hand over your belly and scowled at yourself. "Hush, you."

Saeran snorted derisively and took a seat in the chair. "You should've stocked this place up when you got here. There's nothing to eat."

"I was more worried about getting to Mint Eye," you grumble, "not like I had long before you called saying you were going to come get me." The only thing in the apartment was soda and granola bars. "We can order food. I'll snack on granola bars while we wait for it to get here. What do you want?"

"Not hungry."

"Helpful."

"Wasn't trying to be."

Wishing you could nail him to the wall somehow, you begin to dial the number for the local take-out Chinese restaurant you commonly ordered from while you were here. Despite Saeran saying he wasn't hungry, you order him food anyway, and toss your phone onto the bed once you finished. Without giving him a chance to protest, you make your way to the kitchen, grab to of the packaged bars you were beginning to hate, and throw one at him.

He catches it reflexively, then scowls at you. "I told you, woman, I'm not-"

"Shut up and eat it." You rip yours open and take a frustrated bite as you seat yourself on the bed. You were definitely what the kids these days would call "hangry."

Saeran didn't take to your snappy tone well. Between blinks, he'd stood up from his chair and pinned you to the bed by your shoulders.

"You don't tell me what to do, are we clear?" His voice was venomous, and for a moment, you were actually afraid of him.

He would blow you both up, right here and right now, without a second thought. The only thing that kept him from doing so was the fact that he didn't have the trigger in his hands. No, those were currently holding you down to the mattress at your shoulders.

You'd forgotten that Saeran wasn't afraid to kill and that he didn't take well to commands.

The only thing that kept you from panicking completely was the knowledge that Saeran wasn't a big fan of  _rape_. Death was much more appealing. For a villain, he did have standards.

 You wanted to call his bluff, but if you tried, he'd likely do it just to prove you wrong. It would be his last act of defiance.

"I-I'm sorry," you stammer out, laying your palms flat against the bed. If you tried to push him off, it might make matters worse.

For a while, those minty green eyes stare at yours, and his expression slowly relaxes.

It turns into a cocky smirk that reminds so much of Saeyoung that, for a moment, you're too stunned to really process his next words-

"You look quite lovely from this angle."

You roll your eyes and, knowing his momentary mood had passed, push him off of you by his shoulder. He takes it in good stride, stepping away from you as you sit up.

Saeran had said it himself. He had no interest in women. He wasn't something you had to live in fear of.

"A masochist and a sadist. What a pairing."

Saeran's smirk remained. "Who said that?"

 _No one, but you're so much like your brother, it's no wonder you two don't get along_. Saeyoung was more sadistic than he was willing to let on to people - you only knew because you were the one who got to see it.

 _Maybe I am a little bit of a masochist_...

You shrug and reach for the granola bar you'd dropped. "Lucky guess."

He had no response to that and returned to the chair. To your surprise - or perhaps your lack of - he picked up the granola bar you'd thrown at him and ripped it open to eat it.

The two of you sat in silence for a while and it was only broken by the knock on your door that informed you your food was there. Saeran beat you to the door, though.

Without a word, he opened the door, took the food, and shut it.

"Saeran," you chastised, "That was rude."

"What? You already paid. He's just the delivery boy."

Shaking your head, you take some spare money from your purse and dash to the door to catch the delivery boy before he can get too far away.

"Hey!" You shout down the hallway, catching him as he stared at the elevator. "A tip!"

He hesitantly turned around as the elevator door opened. "You sure your boyfriend isn't going to rip my head off for taking it?"

You snort. "Not boyfriend, brother. Sorry, he was adopted. By monkeys. He's not good at the whole manners-thing."

As if that explained everything, he lit up and came to take the money from you. "Thanks. Good luck with him."

He runs back to the elevator to try and catch it before it closes as you shut the door to find Saeran staring at you with half a bite of rice and chicken in his mouth.

"Monkeys?" He asked around a mouthful of food. He looked so childish this way.

"Yup, monkeys," you confirm, making your way to the bag to get your own food.

"Probably would've been a better family than my own."

He continued to eat while your heart cracked once again for the poor, rejected boy.

 _I will save you, Saeran_ , you promised mentally _, I will save you and Saeyoung together._

 

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY. I have no idea what I'm doing. I just have an idea and I'm going wherever the dialogue and the characters take me. I'm going to do my best to include actual chats from the chatrooms (though not all of them, because holy crap it's a lot of work lemme tell you), and I'm going to try and stick to my idea. I'm hoping some of you are down for this concept of MC (you, because you're going on this journey like you would other routes) resetting to go back in time and try to stop everything before it even starts.
> 
> I want to see everyone happy, dammit. Unlike V who can't see at all (haha, I'm funny, laugh at me). Also, I can't make any promises MC will come out of this happy hahahahahhahahahahahaha.
> 
> Anwyay, if you have any suggestions, please comment and let me know. Give me attention so I can give you more of the yummy stuff.


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